Qualitative and quantitative analysis of hydroquinone and mercury contents in body whitening creams

Bright skin is frequently considered the main beauty indicator in Indonesia. This belief drives many women, and maybe men, to strive for any strategies to make their skin brighter or become white instantly. Cosmetics business owners are no exception, even if several people have deliberately included prohibited ingredients to gain more profit. Mercury and hydroquinone are the two most prohibited ingredients often found in whitening cream. This study aims to analyze mercury and hydroquinone and mercury levels in body whitening creams sold in cosmetic stores and marketplaces in Malang City, Indonesia. Mercury was detected qualitatively using KI 0.5 N, NaOH 2 N, and HCl 2 M color reagents, respectively, while the mercury levels were quantified using a mercury analyzer. On the other side, hydroquinone was detected qualitatively by the FeCl3 color reagent and KLT method, along with the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method for quantitative measurement. The validation of method analysis of hydroquinone has fulfilled the parameters, including specificity and selectivity (retention time 2.111 ± 0.004 min; resolution 4.556 ± 0.096; tailing factor 1.446±0.1909), linearity (y = 44563x - 54717; r = 0.999), accuracy (%recovery = 97.9-102.8%), precision (%RSD = 0.38-0.94%), LOD (1.695 ppm) and LOQ (5.137 ppm). Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis methods, it can be concluded that all samples contained mercury less than < 1 mg/kg, but only one sample has been proven to contain 4.35 ± 0.24% hydroquinone.